


The Very Thought Of You (Gets You Under My Skin)

by merlinemrys



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Band Fic, Multi, Pining, alternate universe - jazz band, that's not a tag oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-20 01:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/579739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlinemrys/pseuds/merlinemrys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elyan and Percival pine for each other to a soundtrack consisting of jazz, Arthur yelling at Merlin, and no words at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Very Thought Of You (Gets You Under My Skin)

**Author's Note:**

> another askbox fic in the form of i./ii./etc. this one was for [ryan.](http://xinjay.tumblr.com) also all of the songs listed here are really great so everyone should go check them out.

_i._ They weren't even cute, Elyan decided. Or perfect, or got along well, or acted like soulmates. To be honest, they were downright obnoxious. Their band (The Pendragon Septet, best and only adult jazz band in the area) spent half their practice sessions watching their prat of a lead trumpet arguing against the pianist with the lithe fingers and big ears. One day, Elyan vowed sleepily as Merlin threw his sheet music at Arthur's face (it kind of flopped sadly onto the ground), he would punch them both. In the face. Not hard, of course, since they were rather nice faces, but he would punch them anyway. The point was that Arthur and Merlin weren't cute or precious or adorable in the slightest. They were just in love and a little stupid, and Elyan could forgive them for that.

Gwaine started shooting spitballs into his hair from his seat at the drums as Arthur tore up his copy of "I've Got You Under My Skin" and huffed out of the room. Elyan reconsidered his forgiveness.

 _ii._ They finally got a bass player, something they'd lacked ever since Morgana quit jazz music to join a rock band with a blonde dominatrix. (Elyan had learned to stop asking about Arthur's family.) Elyan didn't catch the player's name until Gwaine made a lewd comment about him because Elyan had been staring at his gorgeous arms, practically rippling with muscle. Percival needed to put on a shirt with actual sleeves. The bassist caught his eyes and grinned, wide and toothy and much too sexy. Elyan changed his mind. Percival shouldn't be allowed to wear anything. He broke two reeds and almost snapped a key off his saxophone that day.

 _iii._ Percival turned out to be a very good bass player and got on with everyone in the band, even and especially Elyan once he'd gotten over the constant desire to lick Percival's arm. He tucked that thought away somewhere next to having Percival's adopted babies and shoving Merlin and Arthur into a small closet until they resolved their sexual tension. He was rather like an enormous teddy bear, to be honest, all broad smiles and teasing eyes. Elyan despaired.

 _iv._ Elyan brought his older sister to one of their sessions and it turned out to be one of the worst decisions ever. Merlin wouldn't look at Arthur for the entire practice, notes harsh and unforgiving and brittle, and Arthur wouldn't look at Merlin or Gwen, and every time Lance looked at Gwen he would drop his trombone, and all in all it was a ridiculous practice where no one looked at each other and no one got anything done. Elyan shared a long-suffering look with Percival as Gwaine tipped his stand against Leon's back, startling the trumpet player awake. Elyan vowed never to act like those idiots even if he was in love. Percival gave him a resigned grin and a shrug of the shoulders. Elyan watched the shift of muscles under Percival's wifebeater. He really, really wouldn't act like them. He wouldn't. Really.

 _v._ This was one of Merlin and Arthur's longest arguments. Every practice was stilted and awkward and filled with uncomfortable tension, and the other five members of the band had taken to sleeping in their chairs (or standing up, poor Leon and Percy) as Merlin and Arthur just stared at each other. It would have been better if they at least yelled or mooned or something, but instead they just stared. Silently. Without playing anything.

Gwaine had suggested that the rest of them go on strike, but had quickly come to the realization that Merlin and Arthur probably wouldn't notice anyway when they got halfway through "Never Be The Same" before Arthur realized that he and Merlin were the only ones playing. Elyan and Percival started playing rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock from across the room. Lance and Leon and Gwaine placed bets.

 _vi._ Elyan and Percival stayed late after a practice session one day to help the next group set up for a performance in the main hall--Merlin had stuck around too, since Will and Freya and Gilli were really his friends, but everyone else had gone home. Elyan could hear Arthur arguing with his father on the phone right outside door and saw Merlin's furrowed brow. That explained some of their current argument, at least; Uther was staunchly against any type of music besides classical, and it drove Arthur mad. Merlin hovered between the door and the stage, puttering around and knocking over a chair or five and not really getting any work done. Percy shoved him out the door and locked it. Elyan grinned and shot him a thumbs up.

 _vii._ There was music coming from one of the old practice rooms, a dusty and tiny room hardly bigger than a closet with just a surprisingly beautiful piano in it. Elyan followed the sound of "Unforgettable" and found Merlin's hands flying over the keys, Arthur standing by his side with his head craned back and trumpet crooning into the air. Elyan stood resting against the doorframe, foot tapping and mouth curved up into a smile.

 _viii._ Arthur and Merlin played off of each other during their next session. Gwaine complained about public indecency and having sex in front of everyone; Percival shoved them into a practice room and locked the door. Leon led the band and they had a wonderful practice.

 _ix._ "Sit your skinny arse down, Merlin, you're making the rest of us nervous," Arthur snapped as Merlin paced around the green room and nervously checked every instrument. The way he twisted his ring and fiddled with his trumpet keys belied his own nervousness, but hell if Elyan was going to point that out.

"What if we screw up? What if I do bad on the improv? What if Gwaine or Percy lose beat? No offense to either of you. What if something on stage breaks? What if you crack the high note again, Arthur? This is the biggest performance we've had in years! What i--"

Arthur threw a bottle of valve oil at Merlin and the pianist flopped down on the piano bench, muttering to himself. Arthur drew himself to his full height and calmly regarded his band, ignoring Merlin. "Gentlemen," he said seriously, "we'll do brilliantly. Elyan, don't miss your cues while staring at percussion. Percy, don't miss yours while staring at brass. Leon, don't rush the triplets. Gwaine, do whatever improv you need to make the repeat different--and keep Merlin from leaping off the stage, for God's sakes. Lance, Gwen's going to be in the audience, but please don't drop your trombone. We'll be fine. I have faith in every one of you--we're going to go out there and play and /swing./ We're on in ten."

Elyan didn't miss Merlin's soft smile as he gave them their tuning note.

 _x._ Elyan knew he was in trouble when Arthur and Leon cornered him after a session while he was packing up his saxophone, both of them propping their arms on the back of their chairs and propping their chins in their hands expectantly. He looked around frantically for an escape route but found Percy cornered in an eerily similar fashion by Lance and Gwaine and Merlin. (Poor guy, he got Gwaine.)

"Sooo," Arthur drawled, grinning at Elyan lecherously, "how's your love life these days, dear friend?"

Elyan deadpanned. "Nonexistent as usual, Arthur, please don't try to set me up on another date--the last one turned out to be Morgause's...whatever, and I'd rather not relive that." To his credit, Arthur looked a little regretful about that incident. At least for a few seconds.

"That's not what we hear, dear friend," Leon piped up cheerfully, scruffy face practically beaming. "We're not blind to your mooning, you know. You're about as subtle as Arthur. So, you know, not at all." He nonchalantly shoved away Arthur's protesting face.

Elyan scowled at them both, calculating his chances of making a break for it. In an instant he was out of his seat and running towards the door, saxophone case clutched to his chest; he made it just beyond the percussion section when he found his case yanked away and someone very heavy (Merlin was right about the fat, he thought grimly) sitting on his back. Arthur huffed smugly and bounced up and down a few times, mocking Elyan's pain. Bastard. Everyone else was just laughing along, Merlin offering to sit on Arthur's lap and help out because they were a terrible couple that never should have gotten together ever ever.

They were startled by a loud crash, and Elyan craned his neck back to see Percival's normally composed self flushed and flustered as he fiddled with the cymbal that he knocked over and stuttered out excuses. Everyone except Elyan smirked and watched knowingly as he picked up his bass, fumbling over his words and crashing into everyone and everything, before high-tailing it out of the room. "I hate you all," Elyan grumbled, and thumped his forehead onto the floor.

 _xi._ Over the course of the next few weeks, Percival grew increasingly skittish around Elyan and in turn, Elyan grew increasingly moody. ("But I am not /sulking like a baby,/ sister dearest, I'm a grown man and grown men don't /do/ those types of things. Now go away I wanna hide in my blanket fort.") Gwaine tried locking them in a closet once, but Percival panicked and broke the door down while Elyan kind of just stared at his arms and maybe drooled a little.

He didn't comment on Percival's apparent unwillingness to even be around him anymore, but it still stung. His playing suffered for it--Arthur had to rewrite his solo for trombone, and Lance was ridiculously apologetic even though Elyan had suggested the switch. Their bass seemed to be a bit off, too; Percival would miss obvious cues or pull the wrong string, all amateur mistakes that he never would have made ordinarily. Practices were almost as bad as when Merlin and Arthur were fighting. Elyan tried not to think about that.

 _xii._ They were at a holiday concert raising money for a children's hospital, something that none of them could resist because they were all squishy puppies (according to Gwen). Elyan was grinning and smiling along with everyone else--the performance had gone great and the jazzy twist on classic holiday songs were a big hit, especially with the enthusiastic and surprisingly well-behaved portion of the audience. Arthur and Merlin were standing by the donation box with a few kids clinging onto their legs; Elyan could see Arthur's fingers idly tapping out a rhthym against Merlin's thigh while they chatted to some of the older audience members. Gwaine was engaged in a belching contest with the kids while Leon looked torn between crying and laughing and joining in. Lance and Gwen weren't anywhere to be seen and Elyan firmly did not think about that at all because ew, no, /no./

He looked fondly down at the group of kids swarmed around his saxophone, reverently reaching out to touch the keys. He looked up and caught Percival's eyes from across the room, the enormous man somehow carrying a pile of children in his arms and on his back. Elyan grinned and Percival smiled back, wide and toothy and gorgeous, and there was something so sweet in so fond in Percy's eyes that it almost felt like it used to be and something in Elyan's heart felt like it was tugging him towards Percival and he was so, so tempted to walk over to him and just--

He swiveled at the sound of an enormous burp and saw Leon smiling with reluctant pride as all the kids cheered and Gwaine pouted. By the time he looked back towards Percival, he was already turned away.

 _xiii._ After a particularly awkward session, Percival tugged Elyan aside. Elyan tried to ignore the tingle in his spine he felt at the touch of Percival's rough palms and calloused fingers against his own. As if able to hear his thoughts, Percival dropped them immediately and stared at Elyan intensely, mouth opening and closing. "I--" Percival changed his mind at the last minute and bolted away. Elyan flopped down on the floor and didn't move until Gwen found him and dragged him home.

 _xiv._ Percival couldn't even look at Elyan anymore without breaking something. He told the band he couldn't make it to the next concert. Elyan felt miserable.

 _xv._ Their van was travelling along a slippery mountain pass as Elyan sulked in the back and Merlin complained to Arthur about how they really, really didn't need to go to this damn concert when they hit a patch of black ice. Elyan's last thought before he woke up to paramedics was that at least something good had come out of Percival's complete aversion to him--he was safe.

 _xvi._ Elyan was turned slightly on his side, watching the hospital room with weary amusement. Merlin and Arthur had their hands linked together over the beds; Merlin was a little worse for wear because he'd been a self-sacrificing idiot and tried to shield Arthur from the worst of the impact at the last second. Morgana was there too, unusually enough, watching Arthur fret over Merlin with her face pale but eyes soft. Leon was glaring disapprovingly at Gwaine who just laid back in bed, grinning and making bad jokes, while Lance and Gwen flitted worriedly between everyone and basically booted the actual nurses out of the room. It was rather nice, Elyan thought to himself drowsily as his eyes shut, lulled to sleep by Sinatra on Merlin's portable radio. It would be nicer if Percival were there.

 _xvii._ He woke to the sound of someone crashing into a door interrupting the intro to "The Very Thought Of You" and cracked open sleepy eyes to see Percival scrambling up from the ground, racing towards him and leaping--actually /leaping,/ good god--over Gwaine's cot and really, really far into Elyan's personal bubble. He didn’t say a single word, just clutched tightly onto Elyan’s arms and scanned over Elyan's body as if checking for injury--a few minor cuts and bruises and a fractured rib, nothing terrible-- lips pressed together and brow furrowed, before his eyes searched out Elyan’s face. Elyan simply raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side and nodded, and Percival’s face finally relaxed into a relieved smile.

Elyan smirked back and opened his mouth when Percival was suddenly surging forward, hands moving to cradle Elyan's face and soft lips pressed firmly to his. Elyan was shocked, motionless for a second and could feel Percival moving away before his hands darted out, (finally, /finally/) wrapping around those gorgeous arms and bringing him closer. They drew apart to the sound of everyone belting out lyrics with Etta James.

Percival just stared at Elyan, chest heaving (that chest is mine now, supplied Elyan's libido entirely unhelpfully) with face flushed and lips parted in a ridiculously wide grin. Elyan could feel himself smiling dopily back.

"Get a room, you two!" Gwaine catcalled, and Percival spun around with a smirk. He gave the hospital room a bow and a flourish and drew the curtains close.


End file.
